Slide fastener



June13, 1950 N. .1. Poux SLIDE FASTENER Filed Sept. 5; 1945 INVENTIOR. NOEL J- POUX BY H v M O T. A

Patented June 13, 1950 suns rnsrnnnn Noel J. Poux, Meadvllle, Pa. asaignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September s, 1946, Serial No. 694,999 7 Claims. (Cl. 2-265l -This invention relates to slide fasteners, and particularly to a method of manufacturing the same.

In a conventional slide fastener there is provided, generally, a pair of stringers with each having a series of closely-spaced interlocking fastener elements attached to adjacent beaded edges of the stringer tapes by means of suitable clampns jaws.

In the manufacture of such slide fastener stringers, it is the general practice to sew two separate cords on opposite sides of the tape along one edge thereof to form the beaded edge. The cords are usually sewed to the tap under tension so as to provide a slight radius of curvature in the tape or concavity at the beaded edge after the cords have been sewed thereto, the purpose of this being to ultimately obtain a straight and flat stringer after the beaded edge has been stretched by clamping the fastener elements thereto. Oftentimes, the tape, when it is received by the slide fastener manufacturer who usually sews the cords to the tape to form the beaded edge, is not uniform, in that the number of picks per inch and the size of the yarn varies and the tape is not uniformly blocked and stretched. Such conditions present certain difficulties to the manufacturer, and oftentimes it is diflicult to obtain a uniform curvaturev in the tape by the cord sewing operation. Also, certain stresses are set up between the tape and cord at the beaded edge due to tensioning of the cords during sewing which results in the tape being wavy and having a tendency to twist, which not only interferes. with subsequent handling and processing but also interferes with itspassage through the machines which attach the fastener elements to the beaded edge. After the fastener elements havebeen attached to the vention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

. In the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener to which my invention relates;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a plan view of a short length of stringer tape showing the cords sewn to one edge thereof, the first step in the practice of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through a receptacle containing a liquid, showing the tape bein passed therethrough to saturate the same, the second step in accordance with my invention; 1

Fig. 6 is an end view of a drying mangle, showing the tape passing therethrough, in accordance with the third step of my invention;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the stringer tape, as shown in Fig. 1, after the saturating and drying steps; and I Fig. 8 is a plan view of a completed stringer, as

' shown in Fig. 7, showing the fastener elements tape, two stringers are joined together to provide fastener chain. The fastener chain is then laundered and usually run through a mangle wherein it is dried and stretched. The stretching of the chain in the mangle oftentimes is not uniform and, thus, a bumpy and wavy chain results, which, of course, is objectionable in that the fasteners subsequently made from the chain will not lie flat and straight.

Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a stringer tap wherein any strains existing" between the two cords of the beaded edg and the tape ar relieved, or at least reduced to a minimum before the fastener elements are attached to the beaded edge.

It is another object of the invention to provide a stringer tape in whichboth th tape and cords of the beaded edge are straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed before the fastener elements are attached thereto so as to provide a relatively soft beaded edge for attachment of the fastener elements.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method of conditioning the tape before the fastener elements are attached to the beaded edge attached thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a conventional type slide fastener to which the present invention relates. Such a slide fastener comprises a pair of tape stringers 2 having a series of opposed spaced interlocking fastener-elements 3 arranged along the opposed beaded edges 4 thereof. There is arranged on the fastener elements, a slider 5 having a pull 6 attached thereto for manipulating the slider longitudinally in either direction therealong to open and close the fastener in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The beaded edge 4 on each of the tapes 2 is formed by attaching to on edge thereof a pair of cords 1 with one disposed on each side of the tape in opposed relation and stitched thereto, as at 8. It is the general practice to tension the cords I slightly when they are being sewn to th tape so that the tape stringerhas a, slight curvature or concavity at the beaded dge after th cords have been sewn thereto. For example, for a width tape the radius of curvature is between sixteen and twenty-two inches. The fastener elements are then attached to th beaded edge and the beaded edge is stretched during attachment of cords l are subjected to a relatively great amount of tension when they are being sewn to the tape 2 so as to provide a relatively small radius of curvature in the tape, substantially as shown in Fig. 3. It has been found, for example, that this radius of curvature for tape should be approximately from six to eight inches depending upon the width of the tape and the size of the finished fastener. Thus, it will be seen that the concavity of the beaded edge or radius of curvature provided in the tape is substantially larger than that provided heretofore.

After the cords l have been sewn onto the tape 2, it is thoroughly saturated or wetted out, preferably by soaking it in a receptacle containing a suitable wetting agent, preferably water. This may be done, for example, by passing the tape stringer through the liquid, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. As shown therein, the tape stringer 2 passes over the roller 9 down into and through the liquid ill in the receptacle or tank i2, around the roller 13 in the tank and up and out of the tank and over the roller it. While I have shown this form of apparatus for wetting out the tape, it will be understood that any suitable apparatus may be used.

The next step of my improved method is drying the tape and the beaded edge (cords 1) carried thereby. This may be done in any suitable manner, and I have shown in Fig. 6, for the purpose of illustration, a steam heated mangle 15 consisting of heated rolls I6 and Ill around and between which the stringer tape 2 passes so as to dry thoroughly the same.

After the tape has dried, it is straight, flat, soft, and flexible, as shown in Fig. 7. In other words, the steps as above described take the curvature out of the tape so that it is perfectly straight and fiat. It has been found that the above procedure pre-shrinks the tape and relaxes both the tape and cord.

This method appears to equalize 'any nonuniformity in the tape weave and to relieve any strains set up between the cords and the tape due to the sewing of the cords thereto. -The cords are softened by this procedure and provide an extremely satisfactory beaded edge for gripping by the fastener elements.

After the drying operation, the fastener elements 3 are attached to the beaded edge of the stringer tape by the attaching machine so as to produce a stringer, as shown in Fig. 8. Such a stringer is fiat, straight, and extremely flexible, thus providing a flat and improved fastener having all the requisites of a good slide fastener.

While I have shown and described an embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, itwill be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In the manufacture of stringer tape for slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes providing a stringer tape with a beaded edge along one edge thereof having a relatively small radius of curvature therein, wetting out the tape thoroughly, and drying the same so that a straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed tape is provided having a relatively soft beaded edge.

2. In the manufacture of stringer tape for slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes forming a beaded edge along one edge of the tape by laying a pair of cords therealong with one disposed on each side thereof, attaching said cords to the tape so as to provide a beaded edge therealong having a relatively small radius of curvature therein, wetting the tape and cords thoroughly, and drying the same sothat a straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed tape is pro vided having a relatively soft beaded edge.

3. In the manufacture of stringer tape for slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes forming a beaded edge along one edge of the tape by sewing under tension a pair of cords thereto to opposed sides thereof so as to provide a, relatively small radius of curvature therein, wetting out the tape and cords thoroughly, and drying the same so that a straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed stringer tape is provided having a relatively soft beaded edge.

4. In the manufacture of slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes providing a stringer tape with a beaded edge along one edge thereof having a relatively small radius of curvature, wetting out the tape thoroughly, drying the same so that a straight, pro-shrunk, and relaxed tape is provided having a relatively soft beaded edge, and attaching fastener elements to said beaded edge whereby a straight and flat stringer is provided.

5. In the manufacture of slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes forming a beaded edge tape by laying a pair of cords therealong with one disposed on each side thereof, attaching said cords to the tape so as to provide a beaded edge therealong having a relatively small radius of curvature therein, wetting out the tape and cords thoroughly, drying the same so that a straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed tape is provided having a relatively soft beaded edge, and attaching fastener elements to said beaded edge whereby a straight and flat stringer is provided.

6. In the manufacture of slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes forming a beaded tape by sewing under tension a pair of cords thereto to opposed sides thereof so as to provide a relatively small radius of curvature therein, wetting out the tape and cords thoroughly, drying the same so that aljstraight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed stringer tape isiprovided having a relatively soft beaded edge, andattaching fastener elements to said beaded edge whereby a straight and flat stringer is provided.

7. In the manufacture of stringer tape for slide fasteners of the class described, the method which includes forming a beaded edge along one edge of the tape by sewing a pair of cords thereto to opposed sides thereof so as to provide a relatively small radius of curvature therein after such sewing, reducing to a minimum the strains set up between the cords and tape as a result of such sewing by wetting out the tape and cords, and drying the same, so that a straight, pre-shrunk, and relaxed stringer tape is provided having a relatively soft beaded edge.

NOEL J. POUX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,831,764 Evans Nov. 10, 1931 1,848,877 Gay Mar. 8, 1932 1,900,564 Kiessling Mar. 7, 1933 2,263,651 Silberman Nov. 25, 1941 

